Ruggles Pie

I made this pie for the one month birthday of my little son Ruggles. The pie, like my Ruggles, is my own invention! Home grown. I'm sure there are other cranberry-cherry-lime pies out there (are there? I don't know) but this one I made up for Ruggles. It is based off of a little "tart" I made for Bob when I was pregnant with Ruggles. I hardly ever cooked or baked when I was pregnant, I just didn't have any desire to do so. No nausea, no food aversions... just no cooking bug. But with the few pies I did make, I started to make little "tarts" out of the left over dough instead of pie crackers-- the reason being that most pies really are better on the second day, but no one wants to wait that long to eat one, but if you make a little tart you can sate the desire to eat pie without actually eating the pie itself. And on one particular day I had some cherries in the fridge and, having never baked anything with cherries before, decided to give them a whirl. I must have had limes too, and we always keep frozen cranberries around, so I threw them all together into the little tart and it turned out quite delicious! I vowed one day to try and make a whole pie that way, and Ruggles' celebration seemed to be the perfect occasion. And the pie turned out quite well! I was very pleased with the result, and may not even tinker too much with this formulation in the future. Now that it is Ruggles' pie, he will be obligated to have this as his birthday treat and nothing else for the rest of his life.

The crust I used is a "cornmeal crust" and the recipe comes from the Luscious Little Dessert Company. I don't think you have to use a cornmeal crust, other crusts would be equally delicous, but in honor of the original Ruggles pie as it was baked and consumed you can find the pie crust recipe as below:

http://vegetabletuesdays.blogspot.com/2013/10/cornmeal-pie-crust.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/dining/that-photogenic-blueberry-pie.html

But first, pictures of the pie to whet your appetite:

Ingredients (for the filling):

16 oz (approx 3 C.) fresh or frozen cranberries

16 oz (approx 3 C.) fresh or frozen pitted sweet cherries (not cherry pie filling!)

2/3 C. brown sugar

1/3 C. white sugar

1/2 C. flour

1 very heaping tsp. cinnamon

1/16 tsp. ginger

Zest of 2.5 limes (2-3, whatever)

Juice of 2 limes (just however many you are zesting, 3 would be ok too)

Directions:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients and the lime zest in a mixing bowl. 

2. In a separate large bowl, stir together the cherries and the cranberries. You don't need to thaw them first or cut them up, although if you are using fresh cherries you should de-pit them which may involved halving the cherries. 

3. Pour the dry mixture over the fruit and combine thoroughly. Add in the lime juice and stir again until the berries are evenly coated with the dry mixture and the lime juice. You can either let the fruit sit for a while or use it immediately. Because the cherries/cranberries aren't that juicy, you don't need to "pre-bleed" the fruit like I will for other fruit pies to reduce the liquid content.

4. Add the filling to a large pie dish with one half of a crust in the bottom. Cover the filling with the top crust. Cut slits in the top to vent out extra steam-- this pie won't bubble much so you don't need a lot of slits or to put a pan under your pie plate in the oven. If desired, brush the top of the pie with buttermilk, milk or cream and top with raw (demerara) sugar.

5. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes and then reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or follow the instructions for your crust recipe and bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit has softened (approx one hour).

Serve hot or cold with whipped cream or vanilla icecream, although the pie is not too strongly flavored that this is necessary. Enjoy and picture the cute, cute baby as above. Cheers, Ruggles!

Cornmeal Pie Crust

This pie crust comes from the Luscious Little Dessert Company in Yonkers, N.Y. by way of a "photogenic" blueberry pie in the New York Times. I first made it during my late-pregnancy insomnia (will blog about that, along with the blueberry pie recipe, later) and loved it-- more than the pie even which is one reason the crust is getting its own entry. The other reason is that I have subsequently used the crust as part of my "Ruggles pie." I don't think Ruggles pie is obligated to use this cornmeal crust, but in honor of the inaugural Ruggles pie, those seeking to replicate a true Ruggles pie will follow this recipe as well. There isn't much cornmeal in the crust, but what there is adds a little twist in the texture and the flavor that is truly delicious. I also find this pie dough surprisingly easy to work with, which coupled with its tastiness, makes it a keeper.

Note: I have blogged the volumes for the crust ingredients only in cups, tablespoons, etc. but for the purists out there, the weights in grams of the ingredients are available at the link below.

Available from the NYTimes here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/dining/that-photogenic-blueberry-pie.html

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C. all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling out dough)

1/4 C. cornmeal

3 T. white sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

12 T. unsalted, chilled butter cut into small cubes

1/4 C. vegetable or butter shortening, chilled 

Ice-cold water

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

2. Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture and cut in with a pastry blender or a fork until the fats are in pea-sized chunks.

3. Add ice water to the mixture 1 T. at a time by stirring the dough clockwise with a fork until the dough begins to form a ball (approx 8 T. water, but this varies. Use your best judgement). At this point, add 1/2 - 1 T. more water and using your hands shape the dough into a ball and then divide it into two discs, wrap the discs in plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for at least one hour.

4. Roll out using additional flour as needed. Bake first at 400 F for 20-25 minutes until crust just begins to brown, then decrease the oven temperate to 350 F and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or as needed for the filling of your pie.

Pear Pomegranate Pie

I've had this recipe sitting in my to-bake box since 2009 when it first came out on the NYTimes. I know a few other people had tried it out, but it somehow never made the priority list, especially as I have two other reliable, delicious pear pies under my belt. In a pie frenzy prior to Thanksgiving, however, I wouldn't rest until I had made it. I used Odwalla pomegranate limeade for the filling, and ended up not quite following the instructions as far as the molasses was concerned. In the end, two of the three people I shared it with raved about it, but the Robber (the third, and perhaps most honest) said, "I can't tell if it is supposed to taste sophisticated or if it is a little bit burned." And in the end I have to agree. It wasn't bad. It was interesting. But I think unless it is the wintertime I'll be sticking to my other pear pie recipes for now.

Note: I don't see the point of ever pre-cooking pears for a pie. They soften beautifully and when I attempted to pre-cook them for this pie and for a scone recipe a while back (which I didn't blog because it failed so epically), I found the pears too be way too mushy and to release too much fluid, whereas using them raw produced a tender, less soupy product. If I make this again, I will disregard the instructions to pre-cook, omit the butter, and just stir my pears up in the molasses, sugar and spices. 

Originally from the NYTimes, but my link is from PieLoveYou:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/12/pear-pomegranate-pie-47.html

Ingredients:

For the pomegranate molasses:

4 C. pomegranate juice

1/2 C. sugar

1 T. lemon juice (omit if using Odwalla pomegranate limeade)

For the crust:

1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

10 T. unsalted high-fat butter, chilled and cut into pieces

2-5 T. ice water

For the filling:

4 Bosc pears, peeled and cored

4 Anjou pears, peeled and cored (can also use Bartlett or red)

6 T. pomegranate molasses

3 T. unsalted butter

3 T. tapioca (I used flour)

3/4 C. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

For the pomegranate molasses:

1. Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved.

2. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/2 C., about 50 min.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool in saucepan for 30 min. Transfer to glass jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating for up to 6 months.

For the crust:

1. Mix together flour and salt. Cut in (or use a food processor to combine) butter until small pieces are formed. Add ice water 1 T. at a time until dough just holds together.

2. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the filling and assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Slice pears. Bring 3 T. molasses to boil in large skillet over med-high heat. Simmer for approx 2 min until molasses thickens.

3. Arrange half the pears in a single layer in the skillet. Add 1 1/2 T. butter to pears. Cook, turning occasionally, until pears are well caramelized on all sides, about 5 minutes.

4. Scrape pears and molasses into a bowl. Add tapioca and toss to combine. Repeat cooking process with remaining molasses, butter and pears. Add the second batch of pears to the first.

5. Stir in sugar, ginger and salt.

6. Roll out crust. Add pear filling to bottom crust in pie plate and the add top crust either as a complete crust or as a lattice.

7. Place pie on on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 min.

8. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes until pears are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve after the pie has cooled at least 30 min. 

Bob Andy Pie

Like milk in a pie, and nothing else. I made this just because. It went down like nothing and somehow emotionally, if not physically satisfied. I would say the chances of this getting made again are pretty low given the sheer number of fabulous pie choices, but I wouldn't count it out on a cloudy day.

From Recipe Girl:

http://threemanycooks.com/recipes/sweet-treats/bob-andy-pie-2/

Ingredients:

1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

3 large eggs

2 C. whole milk

1 C. granulated sugar

2 T. flour

2 tsp. ground cinnamon (prolly used at least three plus some nutmeg)

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Crack eggs in a medium bowl; brush pie shell with a little of the egg whites. 

3.  Whisk eggs until thoroughly mixed; whisk in milk. 

4. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl, then whisk into milk mixture.

5. Set pie shell on oven rack and pour filling into shell. Bake until custard has set and crust is golden, about 50 minutes.

6. Cool and serve room temperature or chilled.

Deep Dish Dulce de Leche Apple Pie

This year for the Relief Society Broadcast the Stake provided pie afterwards and, to my surprise, the pie they served was actually wonderfully delicious! It was the apple pie with a kind of caramel matrix/sauce with it and even though it must have been commercially made to feed so many I loved it and it has left me with a hankering to try making something like that myself. I found this recipe in a round about internet way, and when we had dinner with our friends the Perrys this weekend they requested it off of my extensive pie list. And while the pie was delicious, there is no doubt about that, I found the caramel a little lacking and thus am still on the perfect caramel apple pie recipe hunt. Should you know of one, find me the recipe so I can try it. If you don't have one, starting here will never disappoint but only make your mouth very happy.

P.S. I used Granny Smith and Fuji apples for my pie, and it was very sweet and I almost think I should have used straight Granny Smith so there would be more tart contrast of the apples against the sweetness of the caramel.

P.P.S. See below link for how to make the homemade dulce de leche.

From Recipe Girl:

http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/10/04/deep-dish-dulce-de-leche-apple-pie/

Ingredients:

1/2 C. brown sugar
1/3 C. granulated sugar
1/3 C. cornstarch (I used flour)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (I used 1 T.)
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt (I also added a pinch of cloves)

7 to 8 cups of peeled, sliced apples
1/2 C. dulce de leche (canned or homemade)
2 T. apple cider (I used cranberry juice)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Double crust for 9-inch pie
Egg white mixed with 1 teaspoon of water
Coarse sugar for top, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. In a small bowl, mix sugars, cornstarch, spices and salt.

3. In a large bowl, toss together apples, dulce de leche, apple cider and vanilla extract. Add dry ingredients and toss to combine.

4. Roll out pie dough as large as possible keeping it a good thickness. Line deep dish pie pan with crust and let it hang over the sides. Brush with egg white mixture. Add filling and spread out evenly.

5. Roll out second crust and place on top of pie. Crimp edges together in a decorative fashion to seal. Brush with egg white mixture. Cut a few holes in the top crust for venting. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if using.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 375F and bake for another 30 minutes.

7. Remove pie from oven and cool on rack for several hours to allow filling to set.

Momofuku Crack Pie

This pie was nominated best pie in New York City in 2009, which is when I ran across it at pieloveyou and thought certainly I will have to make this pie for myself. How could you not make something called a crack pie if you are living in San Francisco? I mean really? Except that it requires that you first make cookies, and then crust, and then pie... and you know that all is too much even if your name is Momofuku. I put it off and put it off and put it off until finally in a bit of residency whatnot stress-relief I needed to be heroic in my pie making and vowed to make it. I only made half the recipe for the cookie and the pie, which I will record here, but the original recipe makes two pies. This pie is actually as delicious as people make it out to be-- I would call it salted caramel in a pie more than a pie-- and worth the effort but very rich. Don't bother whipping cream or getting icecream to serve with it, it packs all the punches on it's own!

Originally printed in the LATimes but comes to me from PieLoveYou:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/05/momofuku-crack-pie-22.html

Ingredients for the cookie:

1/3 C. all-purpose flour

1/16 tsp. baking powder

1/16 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 C. softened butter

1/6 C. light brown sugar

1 1/2 T. white sugar

1/2 beaten egg

1/2 C. rolled oats

 

Directions for the cookie:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.

5. Stir in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.

6. Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.

 

Ingredients for the crust:

1 crumbled cookie recipe

2 T. butter

2 tsp. brown sugar

1/16 tsp. salt

 

Directions for the crust:

1. Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together). 

2. Press the crust into a 10" pie plate to form an even layer along the bottom and sides. Set the prepared crust aside while you prepare the filling.

Ingredients for the filling:

3/4 C. sugar

1/2 C. light brown sugar

1/8 tsp. salt

1/6 C. milk powder

1/2 C. butter, melted

1/2 C. heavy cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

 

Directions for filling and pie assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.

3. Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.

4. Scoop the filling into the prepared pie crust gently.

5. Bake the pie at 350F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.

6. Refrigerate the cooled pie until well chilled. Serve the pie cold.  

Nutmeg Maple Cream Pie

I know everyone else made this pie a million years ago when it first came out in the New York Times, and I've had it on my list to make for at least two years now, but with a title like "Nutmeg Maple Cream" it's not as compelling as anything chocolate or peach, you know? But this last weekend we had some cream and not much else, and I let the Robber choose a pie off my unmade list, and that all led to us finally making this pie and you know what? It was delicious and so easy to make. Seriously really delicious. Like a perfect flan, in a pie crust. Who knew? I wouldn't make it again in the summer, you know, when there are peaches around, but I would make it in the winter and be glad every time.

Of course I tripled the nutmeg and threw in a splash of cinnamon. So I'll put the increased number here and you can reduce it if you want. I used my mother's pie crust and that was good, but I also think the smoky almond and vanilla wafer crust from the Creamy Peach Tart recipe would also work well with this.

From the NYTimes (why why why aren't they having their Vegetarian Thanksgiving feature this year???)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/dining/155crex.html?_r=0

Ingredients:

¾ C. maple syrup
2¼ C. heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
¼ tsp. salt

1 T. freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.

3. Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Spiced Plum Pie

Voila the spiced plum pie! I had wanted to make this pie for a long time, but the Robber likes so many other pies it is hard to get around to new ones sometimes. He left town and I wanted to make him a peach pie for his return out of my great love for him, but the peaches at the store were nowhere near ripe so shoot, shoot I just had to buy plums. And then I had to make plum pie. And my, oh my, was it so delicious! This is one of those pies that is going to be a strong favorite of mine forever, whether the Robber ever overcomes his preference for pecans or not.

A must. From Epicurious (with a few adjustments):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Plum-Pie-232397

Ingredients:

Unbaked pie crust of choice (used Tender Pie Crust)

3 T. plus 1 C. granulated sugar

1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, divided

4 T. cornstarch

2 tsp. (packed) finely grated orange peel

3/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. salt (I used a dash)

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)

2 1/2 - 3 lbs. plums, haved, pitted, each half cut into 6-8 wedges.

2 T. whipping cream (or egg white, or egg yolk) for brushing crust

Directions:

1. Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1 inch. Refrigerate crust while preparing filling.

2. Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350°F. Place foil-lined baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch any spills. 

3. Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl; set aside. 

4. Whisk 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and next 6 ingredients in large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. Add plums and toss to coat. (This is where I recommend macerating for at least two hours then draining off the excess liquid before pouring into the crust. That way your pie will be way way less goopy and it has worked consistently for me to do it like this, even though you end up wasting spices that way. You could always just macerate in sugar and then add less spices to the macerated fruit. Whatevs. But if you don't macerate, expect a goopy pie no matter how much cornstarch.) Spoon filling into crust, mounding slightly in center.

5. Roll out second pie crust disk on floured surface to 13 1/2-inch round. Drape crust over filling; trim overhang to 1 inch. Press top and bottom crust edges together. Fold edges under; crimp. Using sharp knife, cut four 2-inch-long slits in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust (but not edges) with cream. Sprinkle reserved cinnamon sugar over crust. (I actually used turbinado sugar, not the cinnamon sugar, on my pie crust and it was excellent.)

6. Bake pie 30-45 minutes. Tent pie loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. Continue to bake until filling bubbles thickly through slits, about 1 hour longer. Cool completely on rack.

Tender Pie Crust

Usually I don't veer off the beaten path when it comes to pie crust, but something tempted me to try out this one-- I think it was its unanimous approval by the Epicurious lot. Lo and behold it was so very tasty and the dough was easy to roll out and so delicious and flaky when baked that I am tempted to make it again, even if it is more preparation and work than my usual crust. Only I think I will leave out the sugar, because I'm not used to having my pie crust sweet.

From Epicurious: 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Tender-Pie-Crust-232398

Ingredients:

3 C. all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar (I will likely omit)

1 3/4 tsp. salt (I used 1 tsp. happily)

1 C. plus 2 T. (2 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes

8 T. (or more) ice water

1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (oops, I maybe used T.)

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl. Add cubed butter; cut in until coarse meal forms. 

2. Add 8 tablespoons ice water and cider vinegar; blend until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. 

3. Gather dough together. Turn dough out onto work surface; divide dough in half. Form each half into ball and flatten into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

Notes: Can be made ahead. Keep dough refrigerated up to 2 days, or enclose in resealable plastic bag and freeze up to 1 month, then thaw in refrigerator overnight. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out. Makes two discs, enough for one complete pie (and lots of scraps for pie cookies!)

Raspberry Custard Pie

I tagged this recipe maybe last year, maybe the year before and because it was sitting there-- albeit among better pie recipes-- I felt obligated to make it. I have a problem these days with feeling pressure from my self-created recipe file. Ah, well. I made this on the pretense of feeding it to KK, our friend who is coming over for dinner tomorrow. But then the Robber and I couldn't wait and got tempted to eat a piece of it tonight... and well... maybe I will have to make another pie for tomorrow. As for this pie, it's good. It's good. It tastes good. It's simple. It's so easy to make. The raspberry is paired well with the custard. It's a good summer pie. But there are better. Ah, but my standards are too high these days. Le sigh.

From Martha Stewart:

http://www.marthastewart.com/343295/raspberry-custard-pie?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/summer-produce-recipes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/raspberry-recipes#slide_7

Ingredients:

One half pie crust of your choice, baked blind in shallow pie plate

2 T. all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out crust

3/4 C. sugar, divided

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 C. heavy cream, at room temperature

1 lbs. (3 1/2 C.) fresh raspberries, plus more for garnish

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Whisk flour and 1/2 C. sugar in a medium bowl. Add egg and cream, and whisk to combine.

2. In separate bowl, toss raspberries with remaining 1/4 C. sugar and the salt. Allow to stand at least 15 minutes, then drain in colander to remove excess fluid.

3. Spoon berries into pre-baked crust, then pour in cream mixture, filling to just below rim.

4. Bake at 350F until custard is set, but still a bit wobbly in the center (45-60 minutes.) Let cool in a dish on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Serve cold with fresh raspberries. 

Green Mango Pie

This is an old recipe that I made two years ago (on our honeymoon, in fact!) and never blogged, so it is sitting in my recipe stash awaiting formal entry so I can move on and delete it from the list. Personally, I liked this pie. It's spiced very much like an apple pie, but it's different-- you know. It's mango. The Robber of course would rather have an apple pie, but in the two years since he has since learned just to go with the flow of things around here. 

From Pie Love You:

http://www.pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/03/green-mango-pie-16.html

Ingredients:

For the filling:

3-4 unripe, mostly green medium mangoes (about 5 C.), peeled and sliced

3/4 C. sugar, adjusted for sweetness of the mangoes

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Zest of 1 lime

1 T. of lime juice

For the double crust:

2 1/2 C. unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 T. sugar

2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter

4-5 T. of ice water

Directions:

1. For the crust: Cube the butter and chill it along with the water until needed. Mix together all the dry ingredients and then add the chilled butter, cutting into the flour until pea-sized pieces are produced. Add the chilled water 1 T. at a time and mix with a fork until the dough is the right consistency. Gather the dough together and divide into two separate disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.

2. For the filling: In a smaller bowl, combine the dry filling ingredients. Slice mangoes and add to zest and lime juice in large bowl. Pour dry ingredients over mangoes and mix.

3. Put it together: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out single dough to about 1/8″ thick and place in pie pan leaving the edges long. Scoop the filling in center of pie but do not pour in all the liquid. Roll out the second dough and place on top of the pie. Trim edges and crimp to design. Using a sharp knife, cut tiny vents in the top of the pie. Brush with egg whites and sprinkle sugar on top.

4. Bake it: Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, rotating once at the halfway point. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue to bake 30 minutes more till golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving.

Creamy Peach Tart with Smoky Almond Crust

Sometimes when I read other people's food blogs I feel like all they ever do is post dessert recipes and I think to myself, "How are these people not HUGE? Don't they eat anything besides sugar?"... and then I do a little self-reflection and realize that in the last month I have posted cookie, pie, bar, cake, whatever recipes and precious little in the way of anything else. Hrmmmm.

Don't think this is everything the Robber and I eat. I think there are a number of reasons why I'm more likely to post a new dessert recipe than a non-dessert recipe, most of which revolve around the Robber's preferences, my own spirit of adventure, our eating patterns at work, and our love of hummus, goat cheese, bell peppers, pita bread, and grilled meat. But excuses aside, perhaps we do eat a bit much too sugar. Even when we are sharing.

This following recipe we did not share, but we did enjoy it, even the Robber who was deeply deeply skeptical of the smoky almonds in the crust until he tasted it and realized you can't even tell and that the filling was much akin to the beloved "cheesecake pie" of his childhood. I baked this in a pie plate because I don't have a springform pan (see previous post) and if I were making this again, would 1.5 times the recipe to make more filling and just turn it into a pie. We replaced the peaches with nectarines with good results and the Robber happily ate a third of it while I was sleeping last night.

Mildly adapted from Food and Wine Magazine August 2011.

Ingredients:

2 C. vanilla wafer cookies

1/2 C. smoked almonds

6 T. sugar

5 T. unsalted butter, melted

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 C. sour cream

1 egg

2-3 firm, ripe medium peaches, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Using a food processor or other instrument, crush wafer cookies and almonds until fine crumbs are obtained. Combine wafer crumbs, almond crumbs, and 2T. sugar. Add melted butter and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened.

2. Press the crumbs into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a 9" springform pan. Bake for ten minutes at 350F until the crust is set.

3. While the crust is baking, combine cream cheese, sour cream, egg, and 2T. of the sugar and blend with electric mixer until smooth. Pour the cheese mixture into the crust and bake for 15 minutes, until set. 

4. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to freezer to chill, about 15 minutes. (Do not allow to freeze thoroughly.)

5. In a bowl, toss the peaches with the remaining 2T. of sugar. Arrange the peaches in 2 concentric circles over the custard. Remove the ring, cut the tart in wedges and serve. 

Strawberry & Lemon Curd Easy Summer Pie

So there was this time when I saw an "easy summer pie" recipe in the New York Times and I wanted it SO BADLY to be the best summer pie because not only did it have strawberries and lemons, but the crust had vanilla wafers and saltines, something I first was introduced to by SLB when she was SLO but have never tried myself. So I was so excited to try this! I was!....

But oh dear. What a disaster it was. Not all the recipe's fault, but certainly parts of it were. For starters, the crust was so salty the Robber and I couldn't even eat it, we scraped all the curd off and threw the crust away. I think it is salvageable, so I'll post the recipe here sans extra salt anyway, just in case I get bold enough to try it again in the future. Secondly, I ended up dumping almost half the curd on the kitchen floor. And then, the berries. Well. Call me boring, but I like them better just plain with sugar. Gah. But what I am posting is the original recipe sans salt in the crust so here you have it, if after all my comments, you (the future me) still want to try.

From Millicent Souris' new cookbook "How To Build A Better Pie" by way of the NYTimes:

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/bookshelf-how-to-build-a-better-pie/?ref=dining

Ingredients:

For the saltine vanilla wafer cracker crust:

½ sleeve saltine crackers (16)

16 vanilla wafers

1 stick unsalted butter

¼ C. granulated sugar

1 egg white 

For the lemon curd (yield: 2 cups):

Juice & zest of 3 lemons

1 stick unsalted butter

1 C. granulated sugar

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the strawberry topping:

1 pint strawberries (the smaller the better)

2 T. raw sugar

Zest and juice of one lemon

½ tsp. salt

3 sprigs of tarragon, or 4 sprigs of mint, or 4 sprigs of chervil

Optional: a scraped vanilla pod

Directions:

For the crust: 

1. Melt butter in a small pan. Pull from heat before it browns and let cool. 

2. Toss the crackers and wafers in a food processor and pulse until crumbs begin to form. Gradually add the butter, sugar, salt and egg white. Turn the food processor off, and turn the mixture into the pie plate. With a level, steady hand lightly press the crust into the plate. Evenly tap the crust across the bottom of the plate and up the sides about half an inch. It should be even in thickness. 

3. Place crust in refrigerator to rest for at least 20 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Once the crust has rested, bake it in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Pull and cool. While the crust is baking, make the lemon curd.

For the lemon curd:

1. Fill a medium-size sauce pot about a third way with water and heat. Use a bowl that will fit atop the pot, or nestle down a bit, without touching the water. Cut the butter into small chunks and toss in the bowl with the sugar. Place on the pot so it starts to melt as you zest the lemons, keeping the zest separate to add at the end. 

2. Whisk the melting butter and sugar together and add the lemon juice, whisking together well.

3. Lift your bowl and make sure the water is gently simmering (not boiling). Gently beat the three eggs in a separate bowl. Add the eggs to the bowl over simmering water, whisking everything together. 4. Once the mixture is combined, use a rubber spatula to continuously scrape the bowl around the sides (especially the bottom) so everything cooks evenly. The mixture will thicken in 7 to 10 minutes, and should become more cohesive as it firms up along the edges of the bowl.

5. Add the lemon zest and salt. Mix. 

6.Turn into another bowl and place cling wrap flush across the top of the curd (this prevents a “skin” from developing). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the strawberry topping:

1. Hull the strawberries, then cut in half lengthwise (if they are bigger than the tip of your fingers). Toss them with the raw sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. 

2. Pick the herb of your choice and chop. Gently bruise the stems and toss the them, the herbs and vanilla pod with the fruit. Let the mixture macerate at room temperature, while everything else cools.

Putting it all together:

1. After 30 minutes, fill the crust with the curd. Refrigerate again until the curd settles and tightens.

2. Cut the pie into 8 slices, soaking the knife into hot water after each slice and wiping it clean. Plate the slices, then take a spoonful of the dressed strawberries to top the pie. Finish with a drizzle of strawberry juice and enjoy.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

This recipe came to me from our friend KK who posted it on my Facebook wall. The story behind the recipe is actually quite sad... this is the favorite pie of a food blogger's young husband who passed unexpectedly about a year ago. As a tribute to her husband the blogger asked others to make this pie for him on a certain day. I missed the day, but pulled out the recipe to use some cream cheese we had that needed using before our big trip to Thailand. Peanut butter pie is not the Robber's favorite, but I personally always enjoy it and was excited for this one. The chocolate/peanuts part at the bottom of the pie is wonderful and the flavor of the filling was perfect, in my opinion-- very peanut buttery and not too sweet.

Notes: The crust definitely needs a different cookie/butter ratio, or some melted chocolate in it to act as a binder. Much too crumbly. Also I omitted the cup of powdered sugar simply because I didn't have any and I was glad as the pie was plenty sweet without it. I whipped some additional cream to go on top, but it doesn't really need it as it would just dilute the wonderful peanut butter flavor of the filling. I didn't have a 9" springform pan and most of my problems with the pie came from this fact. It's amazing how much of cooking is just having the right equipment.

From In Jennie's Kitchen:

http://www.injennieskitchen.com/2011/08/for-mikey.html

Ingredients:

8 oz. chocolate cookies

4 T. butter, melted

4 oz. chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 C. chopped peanuts

8 oz. cream cheese

1 C. creamy-style peanut butter

1 C. confectioner's sugar (can be omitted)

1 – 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 C. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs.  Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well.  Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. 

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.  Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula.  Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

3. Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  

4. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar.  Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

5. Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream).  Fold in the remaining whipped cream.  Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan.  Drizzle additional melted chocolate on top (optional) and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

Pear Butterscotch Pie

My Blogger everything just changed and I don't know how to find my dashboard anymore. Ah well. This pie came and went in a blink of an eye, made for a Saturday evening picnic with Team M the night before M went into labor. I'm hoping the pie wasn't the cause of Baby E. wanting to get out. The thing about this pie was that it was very, very good but the pear and the butterscotch were distinct from each other as opposed to making some whole unified flavor. I can't decide if I love it enough to make it over apple pie, but it was delicious and different from the other pear pie recipe on this blog which I have now made multiple times. 

Notes: The crust recipe was enough like my own crust recipe that I won't post it here, just note that I added 2 T. sugar to the usual crust and used butter instead of shortening, as I like butter better with the pears. I also peeled the pears and then macerated them in about 1/2 C. lemon juice + 1/2 C. sugar in a strainer to allow the juices out. Then I slowly mixed in about half of the brown sugar mixture in with the fruit while still in the strainer for additional liquid removal and I thought the pie was the right amount of juicy. Not too liquidy on the first day and perfect the second day. I also sprinkled the top with turbinado sugar, so good! If I make this again I think I will double the spices (why I didn't this time who knows) and macerate the pears the same way again.

From A Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2010/01/pear-butterscotch-pie.html

Ingredients:

1 recipe unbaked pie crust

For the filling:

3 T. all-purpose flour 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1/4-1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp. salt 

1/2 C. packed dark brown sugar 

2 1/2 lb. firm-ripe Bartlett pears (about 6), peeled, cut into 6-8 wedges, and cored 

1 T. fresh lemon juice 

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

1 T. unsalted butter, cut into bits 

Optional for topping of the pie:

1 large egg, beaten + 1 Tbsp. warm water 

1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare pie dough and refrigerate until ready to use.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brown sugar, making sure break up any lumps. Add the pears, lemon juice, and vanilla and gently toss to coat. Let stand 5 to 15 minutes to macerate fruit (see Notes above.)

3. Roll out prepared pastry dough on a lightly floured surface into two 13-inch rounds. Fit one half into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish, trimming the edges if necessary.

4. Transfer the filling to the shell. Top with the second rolled out pastry, trim, and pinch the edges to seal. Lightly brush the top with some of the egg wash. Using a sharp knife cut three long vents in the top. Sprinkle the crust with sugar. 

5. Place pie on hot baking sheet and bake in 425F oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 F and continue baking until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 30-40 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.  

Turkey Pot Pie With Cheddar Biscuit Crust

We have had leftover turkey sitting around in the freezer since Thanksgiving and it was high time that we got around to using it. I love a good pot pie, so when I ran across this recipe I was a happy girl. The Robber was less enthusiastic... but you know how he is. He comes around when confronted with the actuality of the delicious dish. I wasn't as in to the cheesy biscuit crust, but the Robber chomped on it and peeled off and ate the extra cheese, so it looks like we're stuck with it. Although if I make this again I think I'll go unhealthy and use white flour, the wheat is just too ponderous. This isn't interesting from a spice perspective, but it is warm and hearty and feels comforting, just like a pot pie should.

I made this in my geranium pot, which did just fine in the oven.

From Gourmet Magazine via a Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/11/turkey-pot-pie-with-cheddar-biscuit.html

Ingredients:

For the filling:

4 C. roasted turkey meat, cut into small pieces

3 1/2 C. turkey stock (I just used chicken stock)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1-2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, diced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 tsp. fresh)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (omitted these)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

10 oz. frozen baby peas, thawed (used the whole 16 oz. bag)

For the crust:

2 C. whole wheat pastry flour (white whole wheat or all-purpose can be used)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1- 1 1/2 C. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated

1/2 C. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/4 C. well-shaken buttermilk

Directions:

1. To make the filling, cook onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and thyme in butter with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch-wide shallow pot (3- to 4-quart), over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, uncovered, stirring, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. (Maybe I didn't chop the potatoes small enough? But I had to cook everything, covered, for much longer before they softened enough.)

2. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in stock, scraping up any brown bits, and bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in turkey, peas, and salt and pepper to taste. At this point it can be refrigerated and reheated over low heat just before topping with biscuit crust. (Because my vegetables took longer, I mixed up the crust while they were cooking and was ready to go to the oven as soon as the veggies were done.)

3. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

4. To make the biscuits, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Add cheeses and toss to coat. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms. Drop biscuit dough onto filling in large mounds, leaving spaces between biscuits.

5. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes. (You can sprinkle extra Cheddar cheese on top for the last few minutes of baking.) Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

Banana Cream Pie With Candied Walnuts

Since marrying the Robber I have been on a quest to find a banana cream pie I could really get behind. You see, the Robber loves loves loves banana cream pie and to the vast vast vast majority of cream pies I say: meh. There is nothing exciting a banana cream pie has to offer. No thrill of taste. No comforting sigh. Mostly just bland custard and too-soft bananas.

But the quest. The sacrifices we make for marriage. And finally, this pie, and this triumph. Yes! This pie is triumph! For the first time in my life, I have met a banana cream pie I could eat over again, get excited about making again, savor in my sleep. I have found you banana cream pie, and now I will never stray again. The search is over. I found this pie on pieloveyou.blogspot.com, but it comes by way of Bubby's Homemade Pies, a cookbook based out of a restaurant in Lower Manhattan. I made my own crust for it, but I'm sure it would be just as delicious with the crust suggested which is below.

Note: I made a full batch of the candied walnuts, which I used for both the pie and a salad. For the pie only I think you could use a half batch and have plenty.

You can find the recipe online here:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/02/banana-cream-pie-with-candied-walnuts-4.html

For the candied nuts:

1/4 C. honey (any type)

1 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

2 C. raw, unsalted walnuts or pecans

1) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix together honey, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, nuts and mix well.

2) Spread the coated nuts on a large, well-greased, baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Stir and scrape them up every 5 minutes with a spatula. Return to pan until they smell good and are a deep glossy brown. Be careful not to burn them.

3) Remove the pan from the oven and scrap the nuts up while they are cooling and spread onto a plate so they won't stick together. When the nuts are cool, dry and set, store them in a container in the refrigerator and store up for 3 weeks.

For the sour cream crust:

1 C. all purpose flour

1 pinch salt

8 T. (one stick) cold, unsalted butter

1/2 C. very cold sour cream

1. Combine flour and salt and cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add the cold sour cream and mix by hand to combine until it it forms a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

2. Roll chilled disk into a 12-inch round on a well-floured surface. Place into a 9 inch pie pan and cut overhang down to a 1/2 on all sides. Fold under to create a thicker lip on pie edge and decoratively pinch sides. Once set, chill in freezer for 15 minutes before cooking.

3. While re-chilling the pie, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line pie with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and decrease temperature to 300 for another 15 minutes or until golden brown.

For the vanilla pudding:

2 C. whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

1/2 C. sugar, divided

pinch of salt

1/2 C. egg yolks (about 6 yolks)

1/4 C. cornstarch

4 T. (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed

1. In a large, heavy, non-reactive saucepan (aluminum reacts and will cause a pudding to turn dingy grey), combine the milk, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the vanilla bean and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch until smooth.

2. Have the whisk, a ladle and a large glass or ceramic dish handy. Heat the milk mixture in the saucepan until it just comes to a boil, whisking it a bit as it gets steamy. When you see the first bubbles boiling up, take the pan off the heat and place it on a potholder next to the egg mixture. (To make life a little easier on yourself, put the egg bowl on the right if you're right-handed, or on the left if you're left-handed. Use your stronger arm to whisk; use your weaker arm to ladle the hot milk.

3. During the next steps, stir constantly or the eggs will coagulate and you'll have scrambled eggs. This is quick work. Take a ladle full of hot milk and pour it in a thin stream into the eggs, whisking constantly. Continue stirring, and add a few more ladle fulls of hot milk to the eggs in the same way. The tempered eggs are now ready to add back into the hot milk.

4. To do this, whisk the hot milk constantly and pour the tempered eggs in slowly. When fully combined, put this mixture back on the stove top over medium heat and continue to whisk constantly.The mixture should be ready to come back to a boil very quickly.When the custard nears the consistency of pudding, take very short pauses in stirring to look for signs of a bubble surfacing (it is more like a single volcanic blurp). Don't look too closely, or you'll risk getting spattered with hot pudding. Just stir, pause briefly, stir, and so on.

5. When you see the first blurp, remove the pan from the heat immediately and whisk in the cubes of butter.Whisk until fully combined and immediately pour the pudding into a large glass or ceramic dish to cool it down. While the pudding is still very hot, stretch plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Smooth out any air pockets to make the pudding airtight. This will prevent a skin or condensation from forming on top of the pudding. Refrigerate the pudding until completely cold — at least 4 hours.

6. Stir the cold pudding and retrieve the vanilla bean. Squeeze out the excess seeds (those little black specks) in the interior of the pod with your thumb and forefinger — pinch and slide your fingers down the length of the bean, freeing the black seeds as you go. Do this with each half of the bean, returning as many seeds as possible to the pudding.

Putting it all together:

4-5 medium sized bananas (select ripe bananas without any sign of spots or green near the stem)

1 1/2 T. of fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 C. sour cream

Vanilla pudding

Candied nuts

1. Slice the bananas 1/4 inch thick to get 4 cups and immediately toss in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Stir the vanilla extract into the sour cream and gently fold into the bananas. Layer the coated bananas in the pie crust and flatten them. Pour the pudding on top and smooth it with a spatula.

2. Cover the pie in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting. Serve the wedges of pie cold sprinkled with candied walnuts.

3. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Maple Pumpkin Pie with a Gingersnap Crust

Sounds intriguing, no? The maple and the pumpkin are really good together, and gingersnap crusts are always my friends, but somehow the combination didn't WOW me like I wanted it to. This recipe has wowed other women in large numbers, however, so it is worth giving it a try and it is worth making again, to mix the pumpkin pie world up and to give the boringness of most pumpkin pies a little zing. But I think the "throaty" Sokolov pie elsewhere on this blog has my true pumpkin pie heart.

From Kimberly at Pie Love You:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/11/45-maple-pumpkin-pie-with-gingersnap.html

Ingredients:

For the crust:

14 2-inch gingersnaps (about 4 oz)

1 C. pecans (about 4 oz)

1/4 C. granulated sugar

1/4 C. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:

1 C. pure maple syrup

2 C. canned solid-pack pumpkin

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. heavy cream

2/3 C. milk

2 large eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Use a small amount of the melted butter to grease a 9" (1 quart) pie pan. (Note: Use a big one, this is not your average thin pumpkin pie.)

2. In a food processor grind gingersnaps, pecans, and sugar until fine and add remaining butter, blending until combined well. Press mixture onto bottom and up side of buttered pie plate. Bake crust in middle of oven 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden around edge, and cool on rack.

3. In a 3- to 3 1/2-quart heavy saucepan gently boil maple syrup until a small amount dropped into a bowl of cold water forms a soft ball, about 210° F on a candy thermometer, and cool slightly. In a bowl whisk together pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cream, milk, and eggs and whisk in maple syrup.

4. Strain filling through a fine mesh sieve. Use a spatula to stir and press mixture through sieve. Once you get almost everything through the sieve (no need to force the small amounts of stringy or flavorless pumpkin, which are the only things remaining in the end, through the sieve), pour filling into cooled shell. (I skipped the straining part and didn't half a problem.)

5. Bake pie in middle of oven 1 hour, or until filling is set but center still shakes slightly. (Filling will continue to set as pie cools.) Transfer pie to a rack to cool completely.

Plum Rhubarb Custard Pie

You know once I saw this I couldn't pass it up, right? That's how I feel about rhubarb these days. The store here in California has SO MUCH relatively cheap big red rhubarb I feel like I HAVE TO buy it, because sometimes you can go a whole summer and never get good rhubarb. So we have been a-feasting on rhubarb (I made a straight rhubarb pie last week) and I am loving it. The plums are a plenty too, so why not put the two together? I have this in the oven baking and my husband in the bed sleeping all in the same Cubby room together and life is good.

From Confessions of a Cardamom Addict: http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/2011/06/plum-rhubarb-custard-pie.html

Ingredients:

For the crust

2.5 C. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

2/3 C. very cold (frozen, preferably) butter

1/3 C. very cold (frozen, preferably) lard

4-6 T. ice water

For the fruit

2 C. rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces

3-4 firm purple/black plums, chopped into 1cm pieces

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

For the custard

1 1/4 C. table cream (18% cream) or milk (I used half-and-half)

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1/2 C. sugar

1 T. cornmeal

Directions:

For the crust

1. Mix together the flour, salt and sugar. Grate in the butter and lard and then rub into the flour mixture.

2. Sprinkle in enough water so the dough comes together. Form a ball and flatten into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the fruit mixture

1. Mix all the fruit ingredients together into a saucepan. Over a medium flame, bring to a bubble, stirring occasionally, and let cook for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb softens and the juices are thick. Take off the heat and let cool.

For the custard:

1. Add the cardamom to the cream or milk. Scald the cream, take it off the heat and let cool.

2. Beat the eggs into the sugar. Keep on beating as you dribble in the slightly cooled cream.

3. Remove about a quarter cup of the mixture and mix in the cornflour to make a slurry.

4. Rinse out and dry the saucepan in which you scalded the cream. Return the cream mixture (the one without the cornmeal) to the pan. Over a low flame, stir the custard for a few minutes. Add the slurry and keep on stirring until thick and the custard coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Roll out the pastry to fit a 10" x 2" tin. Blind bake for 20 minutes.

2. Spoon in the fruit mixture and then pour the custard over top. Level as best as you can and bake for 30 minutes. The pie is done when the custard is just set.

3. Remove from the oven and let cool thoroughly before slicing. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if you wish.

Notes: You can use pluots or apriums instead of plums, and omit the cardamom or substitute vanilla powder instead if you like.

Post-Edit: This was good, but you definitely have to let it set up overnight before it will be anything but runny! I think next time I make it I will omit the cardamom (it's good but the Robber didn't favor it), spice it more traditionally, and 1.5 or double the custard while appropriately reducing the fruit while cutting the custard into the fruit slightly. Sadly the rhubarb is already gone so the re-make will have to wait until next year.

Double Chocolate Pecan Pie

The Robber and R and I made this and ate a bit rather quickly out of the oven, but as the pie lasted for a few days and slowly carmelized it just got better and better producing this amazing chocolate carmel at the edges. I think the Robber would prefer just a plain pecan pie over this pie but I think that is because he only ate it warm. I like the idea of this pie because it provides an opportunity to make a chocolate pie that isn't as over the top as the chocolate cream pies I've had. Definitely a pie I would make again, though given my pie repertoire and the Robber's strong preference for coconut cream, it might be a while. (Unless I can sneak this in at Thanksgiving.)

From Williams Sonoma by way of Annie:

http://annies-eats.net/2009/11/23/double-chocolate-pecan-pie/

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1¼ C. all-purpose flour

1 T. sugar

¼ tsp. salt

8 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into medium cubes (about 16 pieces)

3 T. ice cold water

For the filling:

3 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

¾ C. packed dark brown sugar

½ tsp. salt

2 large eggs

½ C. corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 C. pecans, toasted and chopped into small pieces (or not)

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. To make the crust, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine. Add the cubes of butter to the bowl and mix on low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal and the largest chunks of butter are not much larger than peas. Add the water to the bowl and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together.

2. Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until chilled.

3. On a lightly-floured work surface, roll the pie dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the round to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough around the rolling pin and unrolling it over the pie pan. Trim the edges as necessary and create a fluted pattern using a finger to make the indentations. Freeze the dough-lined pie plate until firm and very cold, about 30 minutes.

4. Adjust an oven rack to lower middle position and heat the oven to 375° F. Remove the dough-lined plate from the freezer, press a sheet of foil inside the pie shell and fill with ceramic baking beads. Bake about 30 minutes, until the dough looks dry and light in color. Carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue baking the crust 5-6 minutes more, until light golden brown.

5. While the pie crust is baking, make the filling. Melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove the bowl from the double boiler but maintain the simmering water. Stir in the sugar and salt with a wooden spoon until the butter is absorbed.

6. Beat in the eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Return the bowl to the double boiler and heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is shiny and hot to the touch, about 130° F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the heat and stir in the pecans.

7. As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, lower the oven temperature to 275° F. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Scatter the chopped chocolate pieces over the filling and press into the filling with the back of a spoon.

8. Bake on the middle rack of the oven about 50-60 minutes, until the pie looks set but slightly soft, like gelatin, when gently pressed with the back of a spoon. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 4 hours.